TUTORIAL-02: PROBLEM TABLE ANALYSIS

Based on Lecture-11: PROBLEM TABLE ALGORITHM-1st Part

Problem 1: The stream data for a typical process plant is given in Table 1 for which ∆Tmin =
10⁰C. Calculate the hot and cold utility and pinch point for this process.

Table 1: Stream data for typical process plant

Stream Name Stream Type TS ( 0C) TT ( 0C) CP (kW/ 0C)

1 Cold(C1) 10 45 120

2 Hot(H1) 45 15 110

3 Cold(C2) 50 85 5

4 Hot(H2) 85 15 5

5 Cold(C3) 10 75 25

6 Cold(C4) 45 80 20

7 Hot(H3) 40 10 120

Solution to Problem-1:

The first step to calculate hot and cold utilities is to find out the shifted temperatures for the hot
and cold streams as shown below:

TH(shifted) = TH(actual) - ∆Tmin/2 (1)

TC(shifted) = TC(actual) + ∆Tmin/2 (2)

Values of shifted temperatures of hot and cold streams are shown in Table 2.
 Table 2: Shifted temperature data for stream data of Table 1

Stream type Actual temperature ( 0C) Shifted temperature ( 0C)

Supply Target Supply Target

Temperature Temperature Temperature Temperature
H1 45 15 40 10
H2 85 15 80 10
H3 40 10 35 5
C1 10 45 15 50
C2 50 85 55 90
C3 10 75 15 80
C4 45 80 50 85

The shifted temperatures are arranged in decreasing order where the temperature, which appears
more than one, should be written only once. It gives temperature intervals as shown in column
no. 1 of Table 3.

Enthalpy balances can easily be calculated for each temperature interval using Eq. 3:

∆ ∑ ∑ ∆ ∗ ∑ ∑ (3)

This equation is valid for any temperature interval i. The computed heat balance in all the
temperature intervals are shown in the Table 3. The last column of this table indicates whether
the interval is in heat surplus or heat deficit.
 Table 3: Temperature interval and heat balance in each interval

Shifted Stream population TI - TI+1 ∑ ∆H(kW) surplus

temperature (⁰C) 5 ∑ or deficit
90
CP
20 5 5 25 Deficit
85
5 25 5 25 125 Deficit
80
25 45 1125 Deficit
55 120
C2 5 40 200 Deficit
50
110 C4 10 140 1400 Deficit
40
120 5 30 150 Deficit
35
20 -90 -1800 Surplus
15
C1 C3 5 -235 -1175 Surplus
10
H2 5 -120 -600 Surplus
5 H1
H3

After constructing the Problem table and defining intervals with surplus and deficit of heat, the
next step is to develop a heat cascade based on key feature of problem table that any heat
available in interval i is hot enough to supply its duty in interval i+1. The cascading is shown in
column no. 3 of Table 4. Further, the column shows negative values of heat in a interval, which
is infeasible. To make the problem feasible most negative value of heat, which is 3025 kW
(column 3 in Table 4), is cascaded from top and considered as hot utility. The cascading is
shown in last column of Table 4.
 Table 4: Problem table cascade 3025kW

Shifted ∆H (kW) Heat cascade Heat cascade

temperature at stage 1, at stage 2,
(⁰C) ∆H (kW) ∆H (kW)
90 0 3025 Hot utility
25
85 -25 3000 3025-25 = 3000
125
80 -150 2875 3000-125 = 2875
1125
55 -1275 1750 2857-1125=1750
200
50 -1475 1550 Add to the TOP
1400 temp. level with
40 -2875 150 sign change ( i.e.
150 3025 kW) and then
Pinch
35 -3025 0 cascade down
point
-1800 satisfying the heat
15 -1225 1800 demand and supply
-1175
10 -50 2975
-600
5 550 3575 Cold utility

From the problem table cascade shown in Table 4 following information are extracted:

Amount of minimum hot utility required: 3025 kW

Amount of minimum cold utility required: 3575 kW

Pinch point: 35 0C

Hot pinch : 40 0C

Cold pinch : 30 0C
PROBLEM 2 – The stream data for the process is given in Table 5. For this process compute
the amount of hot and cold utility required considering ∆Tmin as 10°C.

Table: 5: Stream data for problem 2

Stream Ts(°C) TT (°C) Heat Capacity Flow rate
(MW.⁰C-1)

Hot 415 40 0.22

Hot 50 35 1.2
Cold 25 380 0.18
Cold 30 370 0.06
Cold 115 120 25

Solution to Problem-2: The shifted temperature data can be calculated using Eq. 1 and 2 and
their values are shown in Table 6.

Table: 6: Shifted temperature data for stream data of problem -2

Stream Actual temperature ( 0C) Shifted temperature ( 0C)

Supply Target Supply Target

Temperature Temperature Temperature Temperature
H1 415 40 410 35
H2 50 35 45 30
C1 25 380 30 385
C2 30 370 35 375
C3 115 120 120 125

Enthalpy balances for each temperature interval are calculated using Eq.3. The computed heat
balance in all the temperature intervals are shown in the Table 7. The last column of the table
shows whether the interval is in heat surplus or heat deficit.
 Table 7: Table for temperature interval heat balance
Shifted TI – TI+1 ∑CPC-∑CPH ∆H ( MW) Surplus or
H1
temperature (⁰C) (⁰C) (MW.⁰C-1) deficit
410
0.18 25 -0.22 -5.5 Surplus
385
0.06 10 -0.04 -0.4 Deficit
375
25 250 0.02 5 Deficit
125
5 25.02 125.1 Deficit
120
H2 C3 75 0.02 1.5 Deficit
45
10 -1.18 -11.8 Surplus
35
0.22 C2 5 -1.02 -5.1 Surplus
30
1.2 C1

After defining intervals with surplus and deficit of heat, heat cascade is done as carried out for
Problem -1. It is shown in Table 8.
 Table 8: Problem table cascade

Shifted ∆H (MW) Heat cascade at Heat cascade at

temperature stage 1, stage 2,
(⁰C) ∆H (kW) ∆H (kW)
410 0 125.7 Hot utility
-5.5
385 5.5 131.2
-0.4
375 5.9 131.6
5
125 0.9 126.6
Pinch 125.1
point 120 -124.2 1.5
1.5
45 -125.7 0
-11.8
35 -113.9 11.8
-5.1
Cold utility
30 -108.8 16.9

From the problem table cascade shown in Table 13.8 following observations are drawn:

Amount of hot utility required: 125.7 MW

Amount of cold utility required: 16.9 MW

Pinch point: 45 °C

Hot pinch point: 50 °C

Cold pinch point: 40 °C